


This Game We Play

by midnightbluefox



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben has a snake in his pants, Drunk Rey, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fake Sex, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Jealous Ben, Lots of Tiny Towels, M/M, Masturbation, Rey and Ben are Idiots, Rey is in denial, Roommates, Rose is very invested, Soft boi Ben, XL Condoms, background stormpilot, lots of teasing, rey on top, sweaty workouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-07 14:19:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18412388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightbluefox/pseuds/midnightbluefox
Summary: Rey’s always thought her roommate was attractive, but when she catches him with only a towel on, a contest slowly ensues to see who can drive the other more insane as time goes on.Or, where Rey and Ben are both idiots in denial and refuse to give in.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpaceWaffleHouseTM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceWaffleHouseTM/gifts).



> To Waffles, who is an absolute gift to this fandom and to TWD, blessing us all with her hilarious stories and wonderful personality <3 Thank you for a such an amazing prompt, I had way too much fun with this!

Rey cursed lowly under her breath, shaking her key to try and get it into the sticky lock. Every single time she wanted to get in or out of her front door, it was a constant struggle and she felt more rage than she ever thought she could for an inanimate object.

She finally got it open and stumbled into her apartment, the delicious smell of something spicy and garlicky greeting her, like a warm and much-needed hug after a long day.  

“Hey,” she called wearily, toeing off her shoes and dropping her bag on the entryway table with a thud. “You here?”

“In the kitchen,” a deep voice responded.

Ben was at the sink, a floral print dish towel draped over his shoulder as he scrubbed at a plate. “Hey,” he rumbled, giving Rey an appraising look as she came over. “Long day at work?”

“That’s an understatement,” she groaned, leaning against the counter. “I had the worst customers today, I swear. Every single person who came in wanted to throw a fit about something. I mean, get this; one guy sent back his mac and cheese for being  _ too cheesy. _ ”

Rey worked at a cute little restaurant, known for its delicious comfort food and welcoming, if a bit eccentric owner, Maz. Most days, she loved her job and everything that came with it, but sometimes working in customer service just wore her down. People could be wonderful to her, but they could also be unbearably  _ difficult _ .

Grimacing, Ben turned to face her, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Please tell me that Maz had you bring him out a bowl of plain noodles.”

A laugh caught in her throat. “She was definitely considering it. You should have heard her ranting in the back room.”

“I can imagine,” he smirked.

In the brief second of silence that followed, Rey’s stomach growled loudly. Heat rushed to her face. “Sorry, I just wanted to get out of there tonight, so I left without grabbing dinner.”

Wordlessly, Ben stepped further into the kitchen and out of her sight, then reappeared a few seconds later with a bowl and spoon, which he handed to her. It was filled almost to the brim with thick, steaming chili. The aroma made her stomach rumble again. 

“I just made it, like, half an hour ago,” he told her, adding a dollop of sour cream from a tub on top, just how she liked it. For a brief second, his scent overwhelmed the smell of chili as he stepped into her space, and it made her feel slightly dizzy.

“Thank you,” she said, and meant it. Ben was a much better cook than she was, and the sight of his homemade chili was making it really difficult not to drool on herself. 

He just shrugged her off, like he always did when she thanked or complimented him, turning back to the sink to tuck the dishcloth in its spot. “Will you pack up the leftovers when you’re finished?”

Rey made a noise of confirmation around her bite as he left the kitchen. A minute later, the bathroom door closed and she heard the shower start. 

Immediately, she let out a breath, slumping against the counter, a mountain of tension slipping off of her shoulders.

When Rey had first been looking for a roommate and Maz threw out the idea that one of her friend’s had a son around her age who was looking for a place to live, she’d been a bit nervous. Having Maz vouch for him was really the only thing that got him in here initially, and even then, he’d been a bit of a last resort. But honestly, Ben ended up being a great roommate; tidy, quiet, respectful of her privacy, and they got along well enough. 

But damn it, he just  _ had  _ to be heartbreakingly attractive. 

Ben Solo was the sort of good looking that honestly hurt to be around sometimes. The kind where she had to be constantly aware and in control of herself, or she’d end up staring at him, fingers twitching with the desire to run through his dark hair or trace the breadth of his broad shoulders. 

It made living with him harder than it should be, because Rey was constantly on the brink of making a complete fool of herself. 

She sighed, eating her chili and letting herself wallow in self-pity for a minute. If this was a rom-com, she’d already be smack dab in the middle of some ridiculous friends with benefits plot, having the best sex of her life. Instead, here she was, thirsting over her model of a roommate, who was completely uninterested in her. Hell, she only knew that he was even into women after he’d gone on one date, then came home ranting about how he wasn’t cut out for relationships and how confusing girls were. That was almost two months ago.

She finished her dinner and packed up the leftovers for Ben, hearing the water turn off and the bathroom door opening a minute later. Her plan had been to just crawl into bed, but as she walked past the open bathroom, steam wafting out into the hall, the thought of a hot, relaxing shower was too good to resist.

“Hey,” she called, crossing the hall and standing outside of Ben’s bedroom door. When he didn’t respond, she knocked lightly, wanting to make sure he was done in the bathroom before she took it over.

“Come in.”

She opened the door, mind already wandering to which comfy pajamas she was going to slip into-

Her brain screeched to a halt.

“Yeah?” Ben asked from next to his bed, holding his towel together with one hand. His towel that was currently wrapped around his waist, hanging low enough that the shallow dip of his hip bones was showing. The thought hit her that it was the only thing preventing him from being fully naked, and her pulse skyrocketed.

Aside from the sliver of his body being covered by that sad excuse for a towel, the rest of him was on display, damp and pink-tinged from the shower. Rey couldn’t look away from the single drop of water that rolled down his bare chest, or the way the hem of the towel brushed against the tops of his powerful thighs. 

He said her name and it took every single last ounce of her willpower to tear her eyes away from the trail of dark hair that led down his navel and to the edge of the towel and look him in the eyes.

“Uh…” Why had she come in here again? “I- uh-”

Ben’s eyebrows were slowly creeping up his forehead as he watched her struggle and she saw the second that realization crossed his face. It felt like she was about to spontaneously combust as he glanced down at himself then back at her. 

“What?” she snapped, refusing to let her eyes go any lower than his chin. “You’re practically naked. Why don’t you put on some clothes or something?”

His smirk was positively roguish. “My bad; I didn’t realize the sight of a bare chest would make you swoon.”

Rey gaped at him. “No- what? I’m not- no.”

He didn’t even bother with a response as she stammered her way through an eloquent denial, obviously far from convinced. In fact, he looked like his birthday had come early, about as pleased and amused as he could possibly be. 

This was a fucking disaster. 

“Nevermind,” she finally said, abandoning ship and backing out of the room rapidly. “I was just- nevermind.”

She couldn’t even look at him as she left and went and locked herself in the bathroom, leaning against the door. Stupid Ben and his stupid towel and stupidly attractive everything. She’d always known that he would be ripped and gorgeous, because why not make an already unfair situation even more so? Apparently, life just wanted to fuck with her as much as possible.

Taking a steadying breath, she turned the shower on with hands that were still shaking from mortification and the thrill of having a hunky, nearly naked man in front of her. 

God, she needed to get laid.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had sex. That was a blatant lie; more like she didn’t want to remember that last time she’d had sex. Unmemorable would be the nicest thing she could say about it. 

Somehow, she had a feeling that wouldn’t be an issue with Ben.

That was a train of thought she needed to stop immediately, but as she got undressed, she couldn’t shake the image of him from her mind. Her skin broke out in goosebumps and she stepped into the shower, the hot water matching the heat currently curling somewhere low in her stomach. 

No, no,  _ no. _

She refused to get turned on right now. No way in hell that was happening.

Gritting her teeth, Rey cranked the water as cold as it would go.

  
  


\-------------------

  
  


The next morning, Rey was getting ready extra early, trying to slip out of the apartment before Ben woke up. She knew that she just needed to play it cool and act like nothing had happened, but every time she thought about looking him in the face, her anxiety shot through the roof. 

She was just finishing up eating breakfast when his door opened, the creak loud in the silence of the early morning. Biting back a curse, she plastered a smile on her face as his footsteps headed over to the kitchen.

When she looked up though, she nearly dropped her spoon back in her bowl. Ben was shirtless.

He waltzed through the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and leaning against the counter in front of her with a smirk that he wasn’t even trying to hide. And- oh god, was he flexing? His biceps were definitely bulging more than normal.

What...what was happening?

“Something wrong?” he asked innocently, taking a long drink of his water. 

“No,” she managed to choke out, forcing her eyes back to her bowl of cereal. But she couldn’t eat another bite, stomach rolling nauseously.

Ben was  _ never _ shirtless. She’d been living with him for months and the most she’d ever gotten was him in a muscle shirt when he got back from the gym. 

As she sat there, eyes locked on her cornflakes that were slowly getting soggy, realization hit her like a brick to the head. He was fucking with her.

This asshole was fucking with her.

She took a deep breath, trying to shove down the wave of rage and embarrassment rising inside of her. Very slowly, with careful, controlled movements, she stood and took her bowl to the sink, not once looking at Ben. His eyes were on her the entire time though, she could feel it.

She reminded herself firmly that if she punched her roommate in the face, there was a good chance he wouldn’t pay his half of the rent this month. And if she ended up damaging his face in any way, no doubt hordes of girls would end up at her front door, wanting her head on a stick.

Without saying anything to Ben, she grabbed her bag and went out the front door, even going through the effort of closing it as softly as possible.

The second she was in the safety of her car, she whipped her phone out and called Rose.

“Hey,” Rose greeted. “What’s-“

“I’m picking you up in five minutes,” Rey interrupted, all but growling into the phone. She turned her car on and reversed wildly, nearly hitting Ben’s car that was parked on the curb. It would have served him right.

Rose sounded worried when she said, “Okay… is everything alright?”

Ignoring her question, Rey pulled out onto the main road. “Call Poe and Finn and tell them to meet us for coffee across from Maz’s. This is an emergency meeting.”

 

———————

 

“- so then, he comes out  _ shirtless,  _ prancing around the kitchen like some medieval fucking prince, with his flowing hair and his stupid soulful eyes,” Rey said, nearly knocking over her mug as she waved her hands around angrily.

Three sets of confused and concerned eyes stared back at her. 

“I’m pretty sure medieval princes didn’t make a habit of walking around shirtless,” Poe pointed out. 

“You know what I mean,” she all but snarled at him. “The point is, I mortified myself last night and now Ben knows that I have a- a-“ She gestured wildly at her lower half, looking for the word.

“Lady boner,” Rose supplied helpfully, looking proud of herself when Rey nodded vigorously.

“Yes! Now he knows that I have a lady boner for him and instead of being a gentleman and pretending that it didn’t happen, he’s teasing me. He’s waving himself in front of my face like a big, juicy man steak with great hair that I’ll never get to eat, just to boost his own ego.”

Silence fell over the table as Rey slumped back into her seat, suddenly exhausted. 

Finn squinted at her from across the table. “Wait, I’m sorry, but  _ this _ is what you called the emergency meeting for?”

Widening his eyes, Poe shook his head frantically at Finn, but Rey ignored him.

“Like you were so busy,” she told Finn. He had no room to complain, not when last month he’d called an emergency meeting when he’d lost his lucky jacket and had a total breakdown. It had been in the backseat of his car. 

He sniffed. “I’ll have you know, I was really looking forward to sleeping in on my day off.”

“What Finn means,” Rose said quickly, putting her arm around him and probably pinching him where Rey couldn’t see, “is that he’s obviously more than happy to help out his best friend. Just like she does for him. All the time. Isn’t that right, Finn?”

Wincing, he nodded. “Yep, exactly what I meant.”

Rey sighed, drinking the rest of her now cold coffee. The last thing she needed was caffeine, with her anxiety already through the roof and the jitters twisting in her gut, but the thought of facing the day without her fix was too much to bear.

“I just don’t know what to do about it,” she admitted to her friends. “If he keeps this up, my life is going to be actual hell. But, I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of asking him to stop.”

Poe grinned, completely unconcerned by her current predicament. “Well, it’s obvious what you have to do.” When no one said anything, he rolled his eyes in exasperation. “You have to get him back. Beat him at his own game.”

Beat him at his own game? Rey liked the sound of that. Anything to wipe that smug look off of his perfect face. 

“I don’t think that’s-” Finn started, then stopped as Poe gave him a meaningful look, eyes darting to Rey and back. Finn’s eyes widened comically and he cleared his throat. “Actually, that’s a great idea.”

Rey narrowed her eyes at the two of them, not bothering to hide the suspicion on her face. As she glared at them, even Rose schooled her expression into one of perfect innocence. It was a conspiracy then, and all of her friends were in on it.

“One of you talk, now,” she demanded. “What’s going on?”

More conspiring glances were exchanged. 

Finally, Poe held up his hands. “Listen, we didn’t want to say anything because he’s your roommate, but we’d all just like to see Ben put in his place a bit. That’s all. It’s a win for all of us if you do this.”

Rose and Finn nodded along a little too quickly for Rey’s liking. 

“What’s your problem with him?” she asked the group, confused. Rose and Finn had met him a few times and always seemed to get along with him when they came over. And as far as she knew, Ben was usually the picture of politeness, making small talk and chatting about their lives.

“He ate the lasagna I made you that one time,” Finn grumbled, crossing his arms.

“That was an accident and he apologized several times!”

It was Rose’s turn to pipe up, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. “And he called my niece a boy.”

Rey rolled her eyes, remembering when Rose had shown him a picture, and in his defense, she’d thought her niece was a boy too. “Oh come on, all babies look identical! How was he supposed to know?”

“He should have known,” was all she said.

Everyone turned and looked at Poe, who was picking at his nails.

“Oh.” He perked up, suddenly paying attention. “Is it my turn? I mean, I haven’t met the guy yet, but I’ve seen pictures.” Shrugging like it was obvious, he said, “I just don’t like any guy who’s better looking than me.”

Rey’s snort was embarrassingly loud in the coffee shop. She should have known better than to ask.

Finn just looked offended, leaning back in his chair to give Poe  _ the look _ . 

Reaching over to cover Finn’s hand where it was resting on the table, Poe gave him a playful grin. “Correction; I don’t like any guy who’s better looking than me, that I’m not sleeping with. Better?”

Before they could start getting all lovey-dovey and falling into each other’s eyes, Rey cleared her throat. “So you guys want me to, what exactly? Get my boobs out in front of Ben?”

“Only if you’re comfortable with that,” Poe said seriously, then snickered when Finn elbowed him. “You don’t have to go that far, but if he wants to mess with you, get him right back. Walk around in your towel, then lean over and shove some cleavage in his face. Wear something extra risque when we take you out this weekend and prance around your apartment in it.”

Rose and Finn started chiming in with ideas too and Rey bit her lip. She wasn’t exactly a babe with a hot body like Ben, and the reason he was even able to fluster her was because she was attracted to him in the first place. She was certain that wasn’t the case with him.

But the idea did have a certain appeal. At the very least, maybe she’d be able to shake him up a little bit and make him realize that she wasn’t the sort of person who’d just sit back and let him mess with her. She liked the idea of surprising him with her boldness.

Plus, he deserved it. It was obvious that he wanted her to swoon and drool over him, and she was going to be happy to disappoint him. Well, okay, she’d still be doing that, but now she had her own plan of attack as a distraction. The swooning and drooling could be saved for later, in the safety of her room. 

“Okay,” she said, interrupting Poe’s ridiculous and frankly, creepy idea to have a blow-up doll sent to Ben with her face on it. “I’m in.”

Poe and Finn cheered, and Rey couldn’t help but grin in response. Ben Solo was about to be shown the hard way that she wasn’t some simpering, noodle-spined, wilting flower of a girl. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waffles, I hope that you are enjoying the story so far, I'm having too much fun writing it! Hopefully, this makes you laugh a bit and you're happy with how I'm interpreting the prompt <3
> 
> To everyone else, a million thanks for reading and all of the sweet and encouraging comments from the first chapter! I'm so happy you're liking it so far, even if Rey and Ben are being the biggest idiots.
> 
> And happy anniversary to The Writing Den, I'm absolutely ecstatic to be a part of such a great community of amazing people!

Rey’s stomach was one big knot of twisted anxiety and nervousness as she hovered by her bedroom door, ears straining for any kind of sound. Ben would be home any second and she needed to time this just right.

She’d spent over an hour brainstorming reasonable ideas of how to get back at Ben with her friends, and while they’d sounded great at the time, now that she was actually about to put one into action, she was having doubts. The thought kept crossing her mind that maybe the best thing would be to just ignore him and let the whole thing fizzle out. Then she’d remember the smug little smile on his face and all rationality flew from her head.

The front doorknob jiggled and the distinctive sound of Ben’s deep voice cursing as he struggled with the lock floated down the hallway.

Rey’s pulse skyrocketed, thumping in her ears like a warning, but she ignored it, snatching up her laundry basket and marching out of her room like she was on a mission. Pausing near Ben’s doorway, she grabbed the top article of clothing, dropping it on the floor before continuing down the hall.

As she rounded the corner where the front door and the laundry room were, she nearly ran into Ben and allowed herself a quick victorious rush; she couldn’t have timed it any better.

“Woah, hey-” Ben cut off so quickly that he nearly choked, hands automatically coming up to grab her laundry basket. His eyes went comically wide as they dropped down.

It took everything Rey had to not grin like a maniac. “Hey, how was work?”

“What are you doing?” he asked, completely ignoring her question. His throat bobbed as he swallowed heavily, and she could feel his gaze like a physical caress, fighting back a shiver that would have given her away.

“Laundry,” she said, making her voice as innocent as possible. “Why? Were you going to use the washer?”

She’d taken her shirt off before leaving her room, and was only wearing a black lace bralette. The thought of prancing around in her bra had initially terrified her until Rose pointed out that she’d worn more revealing bathing suits in public. It was a fair point and gave Rey the courage she’d needed. It wasn’t particularly revealing or sexy, and she didn’t have much going on in that area in the first place, but it was still worth it for the look on Ben’s face.

This idea, surprisingly, had been Finn’s. He swore he saw it in a movie once, but Rey just thought he didn’t want to admit that he had a devious, evil mind hidden under his adorable exterior.

Ben finally managed to look Rey in the face, his expression strained. He took her in and she watched as comprehension lit up his eyes. She’d assumed he’d guess what she was doing; Ben wasn’t an idiot, but she’d had no idea how he’d react.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked lowly.

“My laundry? Of course, I’m out of clean shirts,” she responded cheekily, refusing to look away. She was trying to exude confidence, but on the inside, she was quivering.

He didn’t respond and she took that as her cue to move on, only to quickly discover she couldn’t.

“Uhm, can you let go of my basket?”

They both looked down to where he was gripping the edge, knuckles stark white.

“Sorry,” he murmured, letting go like it burned him, then stalked past her.

The second he disappeared from view, Rey grinned, practically skipping to the laundry room. Ben might not want her or be attracted to her like she was him, but at the end of the day, her boobs still weren’t half bad.

As she was getting her laundry in the washer, the sound of running water loud in the quiet room, the back of her neck prickled. Whirling around, she found Ben looming in the doorway, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“Jesus,” she gasped, startled. “ _What_?”

He stared at her for a long second, then lifted his hand, a scrap of black lace hanging off of his finger. “I think you dropped these,” he said, tossing the thong into her basket. “In front of my door.”

“Oops,” Rey said sweetly. “Must have jumped right out of my basket.”

“I’m sure they did.”

He left before she could respond, but a few seconds later, she heard him close his bedroom door much harder than necessary.

 

\------------------

 

Later that night, when Ben called her name from the bathroom, Rey knew it was a trap. He’d been sulking around for hours, probably plotting how to make her life miserable. This definitely wasn’t a coincidence.

“What?” she called through the closed door, tendrils of steam wafting up from the crack at the bottom. She swore, if he said he’d slipped in the shower and needed help getting up, she’d walk right out of this apartment.

“I forgot a towel. Can you grab me one from the closet?”

She squinted at the door, trying to figure out his plan. As long as he wasn’t standing there naked, which she thought was bold even for him, this wasn’t going to be a problem. She’d already seen more of him than his head and arm poking out from behind the shower curtain.

“One second,” she told him, going to the closet where they kept extra towels and sheets. Maybe he actually had just forgotten, since he was clearly distracted. She snickered to herself as she went back to the bathroom door.

“I’m coming in,” she warned, giving him a second before opening the door.

The steam was so dense that it took her a second to see through to the shower, but once it cleared, she nearly gasped out loud, just catching the sound in the back of her throat.

Abort. _Abort._

Oh, she was so fucked. She needed to get out of there _right now_.

Ben was standing there, dripping wet and steaming, the shower curtain pulled back to grab his towel, his groin barely covered. And the wet fabric was positively _clinging_ to that area, the outline of his dick staring her right in the face.

Was that thing flaccid? There was no way he was rocking a softie right now, not with the way that monster was trying to break free of its polyester curtain prison.

She managed to tear her eyes away, only to land on an even more horrifying sigh; Ben smirking at her, looking insufferably pleased with himself. Oh yes, he knew _exactly_ what he was going.

Instead of punching him in the face, Rey just chucked the towel at him, then spun around to march from the room. As she did, she saw his usual towel, hanging innocently from its hook next to the shower.

That absolute bastard.

Fleeing to her room, she slammed the door behind her, embarrassed that she was breathing hard and flushed across her whole body. With shaking fingers, she grabbed her phone from her bed and called Rose.

She answered on the second ring. “Hey, what’s-”

“This isn’t working,” Rey whispered harshly, glancing at her door. “He’s laughing at me, Rose, laughing and tormenting me. The plan failed and I’m fucked.”

“Calm down, just breathe,” Rose said soothingly. “Tell me what happened.”

Explaining her attempt to get back at Ben earlier and his diabolical counter, Rey flopped back into her pillows, the thought of smothering herself with one briefly crossing her mind. Anything to get her out of having to face him again.

When she finished recounting the events of the night, Rose made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a choked back laugh, then cleared her throat. “Okay, so he’s pushing back, you suspected that would happen. We came up with a plan for this.”

Rey closed her eyes. “No, you don’t understand. _I saw his dick._ ”

“Yes, you said that. Multiple times now. You’re acting like you’ve never seen one before.”

Clearing her throat, she lowered her voice even further. “I mean, I haven’t, not one like that. If you’d seen this thing, you would’ve started running in the opposite direction and called animal control, okay? Just, trust me on this.”

Rose snorted. “Okay, moving away from Ben’s massive and apparently terrifying dick, this should just make you want to take him down even more. The Rey I know isn’t a quitter! She doesn’t back down from a challenge.”

Sighing, Rey rolled over to hug her pillow to her chest. “I’m a changed woman now. Ben broke me.”

“Oh, stop it.” Rose’s voice suddenly became stern and disturbingly mom-like. “I’m not going to sit around and listen to you moan about Ben Solo for the rest of your life. You’re going to get mad and put your game face on, because it’s time to make him regret ever shoving his gorgeous body in your face, okay?”

“Okay,” Rey said quickly, nodding even though she couldn’t see her. “Game face is on.”

Her friend made a sound of approval. “Good. Because I’m coming over tomorrow night and we’re putting Poe’s plan into action.”

Rey knew better than to protest right now but internally, she cringed. Poe’s plan, which he called ‘Drunk Rey Wants the D’, was one she’d been hoping to avoid and only agreed to because she’d wanted him to stop talking about it.

“I know you didn’t like this one,” Rose said, immediately picking up on her hesitation, “but you need to step it up if you want to shake him. That, and I say we’re doing it. See you tomorrow.”

She hung up, leaving Rey staring at her silent phone. She had a really bad feeling about this.

 

\--------------

 

Rey checked the clock for what must have been the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes. She was so busy looking at the time that she wasn’t paying attention to Rose, who splashed her shirt with a shot glass full of vodka.

“Jesus,” she hissed, eyes watering from the smell. “What was that for?”

Rose didn’t look remotely apologetic. “You need to smell like you’ve been drinking all night or this isn’t going to work.”

“I thought I wasn’t wearing this!”

Her friend gave her a considering look. “Damn, you’re right. Okay, take your top off and I’ll get your bra instead. And are you wearing a thong or can I-”

Rey cut her off, taking a big step back. “Listen, I already let you make a mess of my apartment and I agreed to take my clothes off. I’m not letting you pour vodka on my favorite bra, or get it anywhere near my lady bits. That sounds painful and like an infection waiting to happen.”

Muttering something under her breath, Rose gave up, setting the bottle down and giving the living room an appraising look. Rey held her breath, hoping that she was just about done; she appreciated that her friend was getting into this, but she was maybe getting a little _too_ invested in it.

Since Ben was at work, Rose had come over and helped make it look like they’d had a girl’s night. There were empty ice cream containers and take out boxes spread across the table, shot glasses and a few empty bottles joining them. Popcorn and candy wrappers littered the floor like colorful confetti. Making a mess had taken a surprising amount of time to set up.

“Okay, I think this is good,” Rose announced, hands on her hips. “Ben should be back soon, take off your clothes and go get in his bed.”

Heat crawled up Rey’s face. “Do you have to say it like that?”

She didn’t even get a response, just a slender brow arching slightly.

Sighing audibly, Rey wiggled out of her shorts and top, dropping them haphazardly on the way to Ben’s bedroom. She didn’t turn on the light as she went in, already feeling weird about invading his personal space. The feeling only intensified as she made herself crawl into his bed and lay down, head nestled in his pillow.

It smelled like fresh cotton detergent and _Ben_ , a blend of his fancy coconut shampoo and spicy cologne. Rey had to physically stop herself from burying her face into it like some kind of creep.

Laying there though, she couldn’t deny that there was something sensual about being sprawled out across his bed, sheets against her bare skin, surrounded by his scent. How many times had she thought about being in this exact position, except with Ben pressing her down into the mattress?

 _Too many_ , she thought wryly.

A minute or two went by as she waited, anxiety growing with each second. Her friends were ridiculous, this was never going to work, Ben wasn’t stupid enough to fall for this. He’d immediately know what she was up to and yell at her for coming into his room.

She bit her lip nervously, shifting in the dark. This whole thing depended on her acting skills and convincing Ben that she was actually drunk so he wouldn’t just toss her out of his room. This plan had phases and she needed time with him to enact them.

On cue, she heard the front door open.

“Oh, thank god you’re home,” Rose called from the living room. “I need your help.”

“What the hell happened in here?” Ben’s deep voice rumbled. “It looks like a tornado blew through.”

Rey’s heart was racing as she listened, her pulse so loud that she almost couldn’t make out their words.

“We had a girl’s night,” Rose told him. “Things got a little out of hand.”

“I can see that.”

It was too easy to imagine Rose crossing her arms and glaring up at Ben, tiny but formidable. “Don’t look at me like that, this is all your fault from the sound of it. Rey called and said she needed a drink after dealing with you the last few days, and she ranted about you all night. And now she’s passed out in your bed, so have fun with that.”

“She’s what?!”

Rose’s phone beeped right on cue; Finn deserved a cookie.

“Finn’s here to give me a ride, so I have to go. Rey’s in your bed, I don’t think she realized she ended up in your room, but she was out cold and too heavy for me to carry. Whatever you did to make her drink like that, maybe you’ll be a little nicer next time around.” Rose’s tone could have cut through glass as something rustled, probably her grabbing her bag. “Oh, and she took all of her clothes off.”

And with that, Rose left the apartment, closing the front door firmly behind her.

Rey heard Ben’s footsteps coming down the hall and before she could question the surge of bravery going through her, she quickly unsnapped her bra, tossing it on the floor and laying down on her side, back to the door.

 _Fuck._ Rose had said that the fewer clothes she had on, the more likely Ben was to believe she was actually drunk, and Rey had just panicked when she heard him coming. Now she was tits out, ninety-five percent naked on his bed.

It was too late to go back now though, because Ben was right outside the door, a low creak sounding as he swung it open completely but didn’t turn on the light.

“Okay, nice try,” he said, sounding faintly amused. “Come on, get out.”

Rey kept silent, focusing on keeping her breathing slow and even and her limbs relaxed, despite the fact that her heart was racing.

A loud sigh left Ben. “Are we really going to do this right now? I know you’re not sleeping, you can stop acting.” When she didn’t say anything, he let out a laugh. “Fine, if you want me to drag you out of here, I will.”

With a click, the bedroom light turned on, then nearly as quickly, turned off again. There was complete silence from Ben and Rey couldn’t breathe.

“Are you naked?” he finally asked, voice tight. “Rey, seriously, come on.”

Another second went by, totally silent. Then he was at his bed, reaching down to put a tentative hand on her bare shoulder and giving her a little shake.

“If you’re faking, you’d better tell me right now,” he said, but his voice was slightly hushed. “Rey, I mean it.”

Holy shit, he was falling for it. She could hear it in his voice, the way that he was hardly touching her. A small part of her felt bad for tricking him but she shoved it away; he more than deserved this right now, it was payback time.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. She could feel his eyes on her, raising goosebumps across her skin as they roamed.

Tentatively, he rolled her over, letting out another quiet curse. It took every ounce of Rey’s willpower to not cross her arms over her chest, to keep her eyes closed and face expressionless. A low heat uncurled in her stomach as she listened to Ben’s unsteady breathing, and it hit her that she was enjoying knowing that he was looking at her, seeing her like this.

She desperately needed to not be thinking about that right then. Thankfully, he moved, breaking her free of her impure thoughts.

As he lifted her slightly, slipping his arm under her legs, she took a deep, quiet breath. Time to put her acting skills to the test.

“Mmmmh,” she moaned softly, like he was waking her up, and she felt him freeze.

“Rey?”

“Ben?” she mumbled groggily, opening her eyes just the tiniest bit. The room was dark, the only light a few beams that were streaming in from the hallway. “Why are you in my room?”

Silence.

“You’re in my room,” he finally said softly, and she knew she had him. “I’m going to take you to bed, okay? Can you stand?”

“Uh-uh.” She tried to roll back into the blankets. “I’m sleeping.”

A faint laugh left him. “Obviously not. Listen, I’m going to pick you up, don’t freak out.”

She mumbled out something in response, the sensation of being lifted into his strong arms making her stomach swoop. He was surprisingly careful, gentle as he cradled her against his chest. Something tightened in her throat as he reached down to grab a throw blanket off of his bed, tucking it around her and covering up most of her nakedness.

He carried her across the room like she weighed nothing, and Rey thought this whole ridiculous plot was worth it just for a minute in his arms. She was so caught up in enjoying herself that she almost forgot she was supposed to be playing drunk.

No censor, that was Rose’s tip for pulling it off.

So, Rey nuzzled her face into his shoulder, taking an exaggerated sniff. “You smell nice. And you’re so strong. Do you work out?” she asked, slurring her words slightly.

“You know I do.” He sounded amused and she could feel his words rumbling in his chest. “Rey, what happened to your clothes?”

She reached out to trail her hand along the wall as he carried her down the hallway. “They were too hot. And my shirt smells like vodka.” That technically wasn’t a lie.

He didn’t say anything, nudging her door open with his shoulder and crossing her room to set her down in bed. Rey was ready for it though, twisting her fingers in the soft fabric of his shirt, pulling him into bed with her.

A grunt of surprise left his lips and he managed to catch himself before he landed on top of her.

“Rey, let go of me.” He sounded so frazzled that she almost laughed, capturing it at the last second behind tightly closed lips.

“No,” she whined. “It’s cold.”

His hair tickled her face as he shifted, trying to pull free. “That’s because you took all of your clothes off.”

Bracing herself, Rey lifted herself up slightly and wrapped her legs around his hips. If she remembered correctly, Poe had told her to be like “a boa constrictor wrapping itself around a tree.”

A second later though, she realized the only snake here was the one in Ben’s pants.

Jesus, she could feel it, even just in the brief second that she pressed against him, and the shameless desire to grind and rub all over him twisted low in her gut. She’d been prepared for that though, and refusing to linger for even a second, loosened her legs slightly so there was a gap between them.

Ben still froze against her, his breath catching audibly.

“Be my snuggle buddy,” she told him, trying to pull him into the bed.

The whole point of this had been to shake him up, to be more diabolical than him, to play dirtier. She wanted him confused and aroused, to torment him like he so clearly enjoyed doing to her. She wanted to beat him.

Playing it out in her mind, Rey had expected him to push her off with desperate hands, flustered and embarrassed, fleeing from her room like she’d had to do in the bathroom the day before. She imagined him laying in his bed, thinking about her bare skin, hot and bothered.

So it surprised her when instead of trying to get her off of him, he managed to sit up, pulling her into his lap.

“Come here,” he murmured, voice surprisingly gentle. “You’re alright, let’s get you warm, okay?”

Rey knew she was supposed to be acting drunk, throwing herself at him, but she could only sit there as he slowly and carefully worked his shirt free of her grip, placing her hands in her lap. She couldn’t move as he tugged his tee off, then slipped it over her head, helping her get her arms through the sleeves. Not once did his eyes linger anywhere they shouldn’t have, not even as his knuckles brushed the barest touch down the sides of her breasts as he pulled the shirt down to cover her.

“There, that better?” he asked, a hint of a smile curling at his lips.

His shirt was warm from his skin and Rey couldn’t seem to look away from his face, all thoughts of the plan gone from her mind.

Not waiting for an answer, Ben laid her down softly, twisting free of her legs with a sudden move that she couldn't have stopped even if she’d tried.

“Sorry.” He tucked her comforter around her, adding the blanket he’d grabbed from his room on top. “But I promise, you’ll appreciate it in the morning.”

When he straightened, then reached out to brush her hair back from her face, the sudden urge shot through her to turn into his touch, to press a kiss against his fingers.

She shoved it away.

“Get some sleep,” he told her, unaware of what he was currently doing to her.

He made it all the way to the door before Re finally managed to say something.

“Thank you,” she blurted out, glad the room was dark enough that there was no way he could see her blushing face.

Ben paused, back to her, and she saw his shoulders lift as he took a deep breath. He left the room without saying a word, closing the door quietly behind him.

Staring at the door he’d disappeared through, it took Rey a long time to fall asleep.   


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that anon is finally off, I can say a huge thank you to my beta [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism), who has absolutely rocked this fic. As always, I would be nowhere without your help, thank you so much for being the best beta that I could ever want <3
> 
> And Waffles, I hope you're happy with your fic so far! It's been really fun to write, so thank you so much for the prompt. This chapter is a little more angsty for the Queen of Crylo, I hope you like it!
> 
> Of course, also a million thanks to everyone who has been reading this! The response has been insane and so fun to read through your comments, thank you for the endless support <3

It took Rey forever to get out of bed the next morning, her mind a jumbled mess of thoughts that she couldn’t seem to get straight. 

Ben had been so kind, so unexpectedly tender with her last night, and now she didn’t know what to think. The guilty part of her wanted to confess that she’d tricked him, to see what he would do if he knew that she’d been coherent while he showed such a  _ soft  _ side of himself. She was scared of what his reaction would be, and a tiny part of her was terrified that he’d reveal that he had been playing her the whole time.

This game, this contest, it was war and he’d started it. She just wasn’t sure if she wanted to finish it now.

By the time she dragged herself from her bed and out into the kitchen, Ben was already up and eating toast at the counter.

“She lives,” he said, taking a loud, crunching bite.

He looked normal, though she wasn't sure why she expected him to look any different. Maybe a part of her had been hoping that she’d come out and see it clearly on his face, the answers to the questions that had been consuming her since last night. 

“Hey.” Rey stumbled over to the counter, getting herself a glass of water. She didn’t need to pretend to be hungover; there was already a headache pounding in her temples and exhaustion weighing down her bones from a night of uneasy sleep. 

Ben was watching her with careful eyes, expression blank. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she said honestly, fighting back a yawn as the word left her mouth. 

He hummed thoughtfully, turning back to his toast. “You were pretty out of it last night, you probably don’t remember anything, huh?”

There it was. It was obvious that he was trying to tiptoe around the subject, to see what she was going to say about the night before. Watching him though, she thought he might be embarrassed, the tips of his ears a faint pink where they were peeking out of his dark hair.

“No,” she replied. “I just remember going to bed after drinking with Rose.” She tried to tell herself that her lie was to be merciful to him, rather than just because she was a coward. 

It was impossible to tell if the look he gave her was relieved or disappointed. 

“So, you don’t remember trying to pull me into bed with you?” he asked slowly. “You were pretty- affectionate.”

Rey jerked her head up from where she’d been staring at the edge of the counter, surprised that he brought it up. Was he trying to embarrass her?

“Wow, I must have been  _ really _ drunk,” she joked, forcing out an awkward laugh.

The change in his face was immediate, eyes darkening and expression going flat in a split second. His stool screeched loudly against the floor as he stood abruptly.

“Must have,” he practically snarled, slamming his plate into the sink and stomping off before Rey could get out a word.

She could feel the shock on her face as his bedroom door shut loudly a second later, hard enough that she felt the vibration of it through the floor. 

What the hell was his problem?

His door reopened and something black came flying down the hallway, landing out of view.

“Don’t forget your bra,” Ben all but yelled. “Guess you were drunk enough to think it was a good idea to get naked in front of me too.”

As his door slammed for a second time, Rey was absurdly reminded of a teenager throwing a temper tantrum and instantly felt sorry for his parents. 

She didn’t know where this sudden hissy fit came from but she was so not in the mood for it. If he wanted to get a reaction out of her, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of having one. So she finished her glass of water, and calmly went back to her room, grabbing her bra off the floor on her way. 

It was getting late and she wasn’t even dressed for work yet, so the last thing she had time for was Ben Solo’s confusing drama. 

 

—————-

 

When she got home later that evening, she opened the door to the sound of grunting coming from the living room. Apprehension immediately filled her and she froze, trying to make out the source of the sounds. 

Tiptoeing down the hall, she peeked into the room, finding a shirtless Ben on the ground, a slight sheen of sweat across his bare chest as he did sit-ups. 

He immediately noticed her gawking and paused, sitting up and wiping a hand across his forehead. But rather than giving her his usual smug, challenging gaze, she was met with a steely glare.

“What are you looking at?” he asked grumpily.

Rey gawked at him, feeling like she’d missed something critical. “Uh, you?”

“Why?”

She flushed as his glare intensified, feeling like a naughty kid who’d gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “What?”

“Why are you looking at me?” He spoke slowly and deliberately, like she was some sort of idiot. 

Her hackles went up. “Hey, I just got home. You’re the one working out in the living room like it’s your personal gym. If you didn’t want me looking at you, maybe you should have stayed in your room like a normal person.”

A bitter-sounding snort left him. “So sorry, I didn’t think you’d mind, but maybe I should’ve let you have a drink or two first. Get nice and drunk before you had to be around me so you could stand it.”

“What is  _ that _ supposed to mean?”

“Don’t play dumb,” he scoffed.

Rey crossed her arms, face hot from his tone. “It there a problem here that I’m not aware of? You’re acting like I tried to murder you in your sleep or something.”

He stared at her for a long second before shaking his head, climbing to his feet as she tried and failed to not admire the view “No. Whatever, just ignore me.”

She didn’t want to since something was obviously wrong, but no words came to her lips as he strode away. Her conflicted feelings from the night before came rushing back and she wandered over to sit on the couch, pulling out her phone as she did.

The message she sent to Rose was quick and to the point.  _ Something is wrong, he’s sulking and snappy. _

Her phone buzzed with a text before she could even set it down.  _ Give me the deets. _

As she typed out a rundown of her interactions with Ben today, she listened carefully but all was quiet in the apartment. It looked like he was going to hide in his room then. 

Rose’s response was a whole paragraph that took a second for Rey to read.

_ Looks like someone is being pissy because you shook him up. Whatever you did last night obviously worked because that sounds like a man who knows he’s losing and can’t stand that a girl is schooling him. Don’t let him throw you off, I think he’s playing you right now. Trying to confuse you and make you stumble in the final stretch because he’s desperate. This is a good sign, it means you’re winning.  _

Rey bit her lip, rereading the message. Was Ben just trying to mess with her head right now and this was all just another part of the game?

She couldn’t stop thinking back to the gentle way that he’d laid her back in bed, the brush of his fingers against her hair. He’d hadn’t seemed shaken then.

All this talk of winning from Rose made Rey realize that she didn’t even know what that meant. She’d been so mad and wanted to get him back so badly that she hadn’t stopped to consider what her endgame was here. The thought of getting him to admit defeat, to tell her that he’d been wrong to start this in the first place, was pretty satisfying. But in the end, what would that get her?

She just couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t a trick, that she’d actually upset Ben somehow. Thinking back, she couldn’t figure out what it was exactly, but even as embarrassed and angry she’d been at him, she’d never wanted to actually hurt his feelings. 

If she was being really honest, she had kind of just hoped she’d feel confident and sexy, affecting the guy she had a crush on. 

Sighing, Rey went to her room, pausing outside of Ben’s door, but she didn’t hear anything. For a split second, she considered knocking on his door and making him talk to her, but she turned away, too afraid to face him right now while emotions were so high.

She’d sleep on it and face him in the morning.

 

———

 

Rey woke up earlier than normal, squinting at the clock in confusion. A second later, she heard Ben closing the bathroom door and realized what had woken her up. She groaned into her pillow, knowing now that she was awake, she wouldn’t be going back to sleep. 

She still gave herself a few minutes to wake up, burrowing into her blankets to chase the lingering warmth that was quickly disappearing. The sound of the shower was a comforting, steady noise, that might have lulled her back to sleep any other morning, but she was too antsy, her brain already racing with echoes of her conflicted thoughts from the night before. 

Accepting defeat, Rey rolled out of bed, yawning as she shuffled over to the door, already tasting the bitterness of hot coffee on her tongue. 

Halfway down the hall and just as she was about to pass the bathroom, a muffled groan made her pause. It sounded almost like her name.

A sharp gasp followed by another low sound floated through the door and Rey felt heat creeping up her spine, spreading through her chest. Was he…?

Rey sucked in a sharp breath, wavering for a split second before stepping close enough to the door that she could feel the heat of the steam through it. She glanced around, even though she knew there was no one else in the apartment, and leaned in, ears straining.

The sound of Ben moaning softly sent a lance of heat straight through her stomach. Biting her lip, she shifted guiltily, all of the times she’d thought about him touching himself racing through her head. She’d gotten over feeling bad about her fantasies a while ago, accepting that it was just part of living with a hot and unobtainable roommate. At least, that was what she told herself when she got off to the thought of him doing the same.

But this was different, a line that she should not have been crossing. 

And she really did feel bad and creepy, was honestly planning on making herself walk back into her room and close the door firmly until he was done. It was wrong, she knew it was.

Then he gasped out her name.

Rey actually reeled back in shock, nearly tripping over her own feet and falling on her ass.

No. No way he actually-

“Oh god, Rey,” he said, muffled by the water and the door but still audible. 

The next thing she knew, she was in her room, leaning against the door she had just slammed closed. Her heart was racing in her chest, a beat so quick that just sounded like ringing in her ears. 

Her mind was whirling in a dozen different directions, getting yanked around by disbelief and arousal, embarrassment and maybe the tiniest smidge of victorious pride. If this was a porno, she’d already be slipping into the bathroom and getting naked to join him in the shower. And fuck, she’d be lying if she said the thought wasn’t tempting. 

Ben Solo, a chiseled god amongst men, was just touching himself to the thought of her.

This couldn’t be real.

As soon as the thought crossed Rey’s mind, reality decided to come swooping in kick her across the face for being so dumb.

This had to be his next move.

The realization took the strength out of her legs and she sat down quickly, pressing her hands to her face in an attempt to get them to stop shaking. It couldn’t be a coincidence that this had happened now, just after he happened to wake her up, perfectly in time for his shower and gratuitous moaning.

Swift and harsh disappointment settled in her stomach like a heavy boulder. She was such a fool, the biggest, must gullible idiot who ever lived. 

Outside her door, she heard the water turn off and the clatter of the shower curtain rings being shoved to one side.

_ Well played, Solo,  _ she thought bitterly, hating that he affected her like that. Hating that this whole game was designed for him to win since it was so easy for him to torture her, and she’d still decided to play. 

Something was simmering lowly in her gut but she didn’t realize what it was until a few minutes later, when she calmed down enough to venture out and get a glass of water, perching on a stool and coming face to face with a box of extra large ribbed condoms on the counter.

She blinked.

“Oh, sorry,” Ben said, appearing behind her. “Left those out here, my bad. Guess you know what my plan for tonight is.”

When he reached past her to grab the box, the smirk on his face was different than his usual, sharper and almost bitter looking. Like there was no enjoyment he was getting out of this, but Rey knew better.

“You’re up early,” he continued casually, coming around the counter. His hair was wet and he was barefoot as he padded across the kitchen. “Did something-”

The heat that had been churning in her stomach exploded in a wave of anger that sent her vision blurring and her ears ringing. Before she even realized that she was moving, she was in front of Ben, his t-shirt fisted in one hand as she yanked him down to her level. The box of condoms landed on the floor as his eyes went wide with shock.

“You’re a dick,” Rey growled, nearly nose to nose with him. “An absolute  _ dick _ and this is just a new low.”

His obvious surprise might have filled her with satisfaction if she wasn’t so goddamn mad. “The condoms? What-“

“Oh, stop it,” she cut him off, spitting out the words. “If you really want to go sleep around just to prove a point, go ahead. You know what I’m talking about.”

She’d never admit it but the thought of him going out and finding some random girl to sleep with made her sick with jealousy. The one comfort over the last few months of crushing on him hard was that even though he wasn’t interested in her, he hadn’t seemed interested in anyone else. The fact that he’d rather go out and find some random person instead of her was like a knife in her gut.

That coupled with the lingering disappointment and embarrassment to her reaction earlier after hearing him in the shower had pushed her right over the edge. Pretending to masturbate to her was cruel in a way she hadn’t thought he’d had in him.

Ben’s dark eyebrows came together. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She ground her teeth. She wasn’t going to say it, she wasn’t.

“Who’s playing dumb now?” Her hand tightening in the fabric of his shirt and his face inched even closer. “You’ve crossed a line, Solo.”

She could see the second his face went hard and defensive. “I’ve already said I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you sure you aren’t just making stuff up because you’re pissed that this isn’t going the way you thought it would?”

How dare he even try to turn this around on her?

“You know that’s not true. You’re the one who’s being an asshole just to prove a point. Fine, if it’s so important to you, yeah, you’re hot. Whatever, I’m not blind. Sue me for checking you out, you don’t have to rub it in my face that you’re ridiculously attractive, and if you really think that- that what you did earlier was okay,  _ then you can fuck off _ .”

Rey was breathing hard when she finished and she could feel the angry flush spread across her face, no doubt a very attractive shade of tomato red. 

It was worth it though for the look on Ben’s face, shifting quickly from annoyance to defiance to surprise and then settling on a something considering. His gaze was like a grip, holding her frozen before him and heavy against her skin.

He shifted, leaning into her the smallest amount as his eyes closed slightly, and she suddenly realized how close they were, near enough that she could feel the light warmth of his breath against her lips. 

“Rey,” he murmured, voice too soft and velvety for the argument that they’d just been having. He was so close that she could count his eyelashes and see the light caramel colored flecks in his eyes. And the way he was looking at her, flicking down to her mouth and back to meet her gaze, almost like he wanted to kiss her-

She let go of his shirt, recoiling like she’d been burned. Panic was rising in her throat, choking her under its tight grip.

“Really?” Rey choked out. “You just can’t stop fucking with my head for more than a second, can you?”

His lips parted, the sound of his breath catching loud in the moment, and she could see that he was about to speak. 

“Don’t,” she said, feeling traitorous tears welling up in her eyes and she knew she’d turned away too late to hide them when Ben lifted a hand to reach for her. “Just- don’t.”

She fled back to her room before he could say anything, retreating like a coward but knowing she couldn’t stay there with him for another second before she said or did something incredibly foolish. 

The terror rising in her was the realization that  _ he knew _ . He had to know that her feelings went beyond simple attraction, or he wouldn’t have just tried to kiss her. He wouldn’t have bothered unless he knew that it meant something, something he could wield against her like a weapon. 

Oh god, how could she ever recover from this?

And more importantly, how had she judged Ben’s character so badly? 

She’d never thought he would be this manipulative and cruel, playing around with her like this. It was one thing to flaunt his impressive physique around the house, but how could he not see that his little stunt in the shower and then just acting like we wanted to kiss her, were both crossing the line.

It felt like he was laughing at her.

Rey sat down on her bed roughly, wanting to punch her pillows into oblivion, since Ben’s face was currently in the other room. Her panic was rapidly vanished and being replaced with anger and steely determination.

She ground her teeth, just imagining him basking in the thought of her being into him and plotting how he could use it against her. Fuck him and his massive ego, she was going to show him that she wasn’t hung up on him.

A plan started to unfold in her mind, a way to maybe wipe that smirk off of his face. Really, if he already knew that she liked him, what more did she have to lose at this point? It wasn’t like she could possibly be more embarrassed. 

 

\--------------

 

When Ben got home from work later that night, she was ready and waiting for him, perched on the couch.

He watched her warily as he came in, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up without taking his eyes off of her. But she had a carefully crafted little smile on her face, one that just oozed regret and nervousness.

“Hey,” she said softly, glancing down at the pillow she had pulled into her lap. “You have a minute to talk?” 

He nodded, sitting down across from her slowly, warily. 

Taking a deep breath, Rey met his eyes. “I just wanted to apologize for earlier,” she told him, twisting the tassels of the pillow between nervous fingers. “I’m not sure what happened but I lost it a little bit and I never should have come at you like that. I’m sorry, I want to blame it on stress and lack of sleep or whatever, but it doesn’t matter because it was really not cool of me.”

His head started shaking halfway through her apology, but he still let her finish before saying anything. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m not upset about it, I think I definitely deserved it. I was being a dick.”

Somehow, she wasn’t surprised that he was playing nice now, trying to act all apologetic and like he’d been in the wrong. She didn’t want to hear his excuses though, didn’t have it in her to sit here and listen to it when underneath her nervous smiles, all she could think was that she hated him for doing this to her. 

“But,” he continued, watching her intently, his fingers tapping against his leg, “I do think we need to talk about this whole thing.”

She had an idea of what he wanted to talk to her about and the thought of sitting here while they discussed her feelings for him, no doubt a condescending little smile on his face while he explained to her how cute it was that she liked him, and how really, he was flattered but couldn’t reciprocate- she would rather die. 

“I actually have to go get ready, I’m going out with the boys and Rose tonight. But we can talk later, right? I just wanted to make sure we’re okay.”

Ben hesitated, probably hating the thought of missing a chance to make her feel terrible about herself. “Yeah, we can talk later. And of course we are, like I said, it’s fine.”

Giving him her sunniest smile, Rey went to her room, leaving a rather stunned and confused looking roommate behind her. 

 

\--------------------

 

When she came out an hour later, he was still in the same spot, ankles crossed and eyes locked on his phone.

She didn’t say a word as she crossed the living room, setting her heels and purse on the table as she grabbed her jacket out of the hall. But when she turned back, his phone was hanging limply from his fingers, eyes huge as he stared at her. 

“I know,” she said, putting her jacket with her purse. “The sequins are a bit much but I kind of like them.”

Ben didn’t say a word and Rey felt a surge of triumph rushing through her. That’s right, asshole, she cleaned up nice. 

Her black sequin skirt was short as sin but it was doing wonders for her legs, and she could feel his eyes roaming up and down the length of them. Paired with the black, semi-sheer top she had tucked in, plunging deeply down her chest and revealing the barest hint of her lace bralette, and she knew that she was looking good. And black was Ben’s favorite color.

“Are you- is that what you’re going out in?” Ben finally got out, his face strangely pale. 

She laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever said. “Of course, why else would I be all dressed up? We’re going to that new club over on twenty-third and I wanted to look nice.”

He went silent again, but she could see that he was clenching his teeth, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

Grabbing her shoes, she went over to him, feeling light as air, like she was dancing across the hardwood. It was just so  _ satisfying _ to turn the tables on him for once.

“I actually was hoping you’d help me with my shoes really quick?” she asked sweetly, handing him the heels. They were black and disturbingly high, with delicate straps and buckles that went around her ankle. The only reason she owned them was because she’d been roped into a fancy work party of Finn’s last year and her dress had been a few inches too long. Rather than paying to get it hemmed, she’d just teetered around in these heels for the evening. 

He just stared at the shoes in his hands.

“I just need help doing up the buckles,” Rey explained, lifting her right foot slightly. “I can’t exactly bend over in this skirt…especially since I’m not wearing any underwear.”

His eyes were electric as they met hers, dark and heavy as the clouds of a thunderstorm. He swallowed loudly, and a long second passed.

“Here,” he finally rumbled, voice coming from somewhere deep in his chest, and he held out the shoe for her to slip her foot into. As he fumbled with the buckle, so tiny in his huge fingers, she sent up a quick prayer that she wasn’t flashing him her lady bits. She hadn’t been lying about not having anything on underneath this skirt. 

She wobbled slightly when she gave him her other foot, having to stand on the stilt of a heel. That and the fact that her knees were weak from the brush of his hands against the bare skin of her ankle. 

He finished but didn’t move, dark head bowed over her leg so she couldn’t see his face, fingers still wrapped around her calf where he’d held her steady. She couldn’t hold back the tiny gasp that escaped her when his grip softened and slipped up her leg slowly.

Her brain was yelling at her to pull away, but his touch was so gentle, almost reverent, and she could feel the smallest tremble where his fingers were spread across her skin. Heat was streaking up her leg and settling between her thighs.

His body was so still, she didn’t think either of them was breathing.

A single fingertip brushed the sensitive skin behind her knee and she bit her lip hard, barely stifling the breathy sound that rose in her throat.

She wanted to push him back and straddle him, to urge his hand up and under her skirt, those thick fingers caressing her in other places. She wanted to rock into his touch and part her legs for him, and-

Suddenly, Ben exhaled roughly and then his hand was gone from her and against his thigh, in a fist so tight that his knuckles were stark white. 

The loss of his touch was so unexpected that it almost hurt, and Rey rocked back a step before she caught herself. She was the one who was supposed to be in control here, yet he’d snatched it away from her with just the feeling of his hands on her.

She turned back to him, anger pulling words to her lips, but he spoke first.

“Just… be safe,” he told her, gaze fixed on the floor, voice hoarse and rough where it had been a deep rumble only a minute ago.

“I-” He’d caught her so off guard, her harsh retort dissolving off of her tongue. “I will. Thanks.” 

Ben didn’t say anything else, didn’t even lift his head, as she stumbled over to her jacket and purse then left, glancing over her shoulder once as she closed the door.

She was shivering as she drove over to Finn and Poe’s apartment, gripping the wheel tightly enough that her fingers ached. Fuck him, fuck him for doing this, for being such an asshole and then being sweet to her when she was just trying to do something for herself. She  _ deserved  _ a win over him after everything. 

To get her head back in the game, she thought back to this morning, to how it felt when she realized that he had just been messing with her in the shower. How her hope had turned into sharp, jagged shards of glass as it shattered, slicing into her lungs. And the humiliation when he pretended like he was going to kiss her in the kitchen, the way she’d fallen for it, just for a second.

Angry tears pricked at Rey’s eyes but she refused to let them fall as she pressed down on the gas a little harder.  

She pulled into the parking lot and hurried up to Finn and Poe’s door, knocking loudly.

“Hey, you okay?” Finn asked as he swung the door open, clearly confused by her sudden appearance and outfit. 

She stepped around him, looking for his boyfriend. “Did Poe not tell you I was coming over?”

“He literally just got home,” Poe said, appearing in the hallway. “I haven’t had the chance yet.”

Anxious energy was making her jittery and impatient, so she forced herself to take a deep breath. “Okay, Poe go get dressed. Wear something nice, something you’d wear if you wanted to pick someone up and get laid. Lots of sex appeal or whatever. And Finn, I need to borrow your boyfriend for the night.”

Poe grinned diabolically and vanished, while Finn just gaped. 

“What- what exactly is going on? Do I even want to ask?”

Shrugging, Rey set down her stuff on his couch. “Probably not. I just need Poe for help with a way to get back at Ben for being a dick. It shouldn’t take all night.”

Finn looked up, like he was sending out a quick prayer for help. “How is Poe going to help you? He’s never even met Ben before.”

“Exactly.” Rey grinned, whirling around to face him. “We’re going back to my place to have loud, kinky sex.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter! I had so much fun wrapping this up, Poe in this chapter is pretty much inspired by all of you who lost your minds at how dumb and blind Rey and Ben were being haha
> 
> Thank you so much for the amazing feedback and enthusiasm with this story, it was so much fun to write and all of the hilarious comments and encouragement I got from you all just made it that much better <3
> 
> Waffles, I hope you enjoyed this and are happy with what I did with your prompt!
> 
> And, of course, thank you to my amazing beta [LoveofEscapism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveofEscapism/pseuds/LoveofEscapism), who is always just ridiculously excited and supportive of my writing and is probably terrible for my ego haha she worked her magic on this whole story and amazes me constantly with her talent <3

“Okay, do you remember the plan?” Rey asked, staring out the car window at her apartment door, anxiety churning in her gut. 

She could practically hear Poe rolling his eyes. “Yes, you only told me it a dozen times on the drive over. It’s really not that complicated. You picked me up at the club and now you’re bringing me home for a bit of gland-to-gland combat.”

Her head thunked against the glass of the window. “Please never say that again.”

“What? Would you prefer something else? I’ve got a whole list… You’re bringing me home to wrangle my below-the-belt beast. Or, you’re-”

Rey got out of the car before he could say anything else, relieved when he followed her with a sigh but kept silent. He managed to make it all the way to the front door before he cracked.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he whispered, shuffling his feet nervously.  

She laughed loudly, like he’d said the funniest thing she’d ever heard, hoping Ben could hear. “You are so hilarious,” she said, stomping on his toes as she managed to get the door open. “Well, this is my place. Come on in.”

They made it into the living room before Ben appeared, standing in the hallway entrance with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.  

“Oh, hey,” Rey said cheerfully, grabbing Poe by his arm and dragging him close. “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be up.”

He didn’t even look at her, eyes locked on her friend. “Who’s this?”

Some of the tension left her in a rush. They’d never met but Ben once saw a blurry picture of Poe’s profile in a group, and she wasn’t sure if he was going to recognize him or not. Looked like he didn’t, fortunately for her.

“This is Paul,” Rey said, giving Poe what she hoped was a lovestruck look. “I met him at the club tonight.”

Poe gave Ben a lazy grin, like they were in on some joke together. “Paul Dicken, nice to meet you. Roommates you said? You’re one lucky bastard, getting to live with this hot piece.”

A muscle twitched in Ben’s jaw as he shifted slightly, not saying anything. 

Rey giggled, leaning into Poe as her hand slipped under the hem of his shirt. She saw Ben’s hard gaze follow the movement. 

“I mean,” Poe continued, leering down at her as his hand settled on the curve of her hip, giving it a possessive squeeze. “I didn’t even want to wait to get home but she insisted. If I couldn’t handle a few hours without getting to tap that, I can’t imagine living here, getting to look but not touch. You are a strong man, my friend.”

“We aren’t friends,” Ben practically growled, face dark. 

His expression made uneasiness bloom in Rey’s chest and she cleared her throat. She’d told Poe that if they ran into Ben, he could play it up a little, but he was definitely overdoing it.

Though she couldn’t deny, part of her was getting a malicious sort of glee from the fact that he looked like he was positively fuming.

“Hey, you wanna-” She tilted her head towards her bedroom door, down the hall that Ben currently had barricaded with his body.

Poe grinned, lifting his eyebrows. “You know I do.” He turned back to Ben, throwing him a wink. “It was nice meeting you, but I’m about to show your roommate here the night of her life. I hope you have earplugs, if you know what I mean.”

For a second, she thought Ben wasn’t going to move, then slowly, carefully contained tension radiating off of every inch of him, he stepped aside to let Poe down the hall. 

“Second door on the right,” she called after him. “I’ll be there in a second.”

Now that scowl was aimed at her and Rey held back a shiver, giving him a bright smile instead. “Sorry, I know it’s kind of rude to bring someone home while you’re here but I didn’t think you’d be mad since you’re the one who gave me the idea.”

_ I don’t need you _ , she wanted to say instead.  _ You don’t get to make me feel small and unimportant, like my feelings are a joke that you can laugh at. _

Ben gaped at her. “I- I what? I didn’t tell you to pick someone up at the club.”

She cocked her head to the side, trying to be the picture of innocence. “No, but you implied you were going to do the same…remember, the condoms? I thought that didn’t seem like a bad idea.”

“No, Rey, I wasn’t actually going to-”

She cut him off, feeling her smile edging towards crazytown. “Well, maybe you should. God knows you’ve been tense and moody lately.”

Flushing, Ben stepped closer to her. “That’s not the point! I mean, do you even know this guy?”

“Excuse me? You think you have any right to judge me or tell me who I can or can’t sleep with?”

He groaned out a deep, aggravated sound, raking his hand through his thick hair roughly. “No, I’m not saying- Listen, you can sleep with whoever you want, but really? This guy? He’s a total douche, and the way he’s talking about you, like you’re just some object for him to use and toss away, it’s not right.”

Rey knew that she needed to disengage and go to her room, but the absurdity of what he was saying was just too much.

“Are you kidding me?” she choked out between bitter laughter. “You’re actually going to stand here and talk about the way he’s treating me?  _ You? _ Do I need to recap the last few days? Because I can if you don’t remember.”

Staring at her, Ben didn’t say a word, and she was scared she’d given too much away. He just made her so damn mad. 

“I apologized and I meant it,” he finally said quietly. “I was mean because I was mad and the condoms were just a dick move, but-”

“You know this isn’t about that,” she snapped, furious that even now, he wouldn’t own up about what he’d done. She was tired of him playing stupid. 

He blinked. “What- what is this about then?”

Fingers curling into fists at her sides, Rey bit her lip. He was really going to make her say it. Embarrassment and anger swirled around inside of her but fine, if he wanted her to call him out then she would.

“I heard you, just like you planned.” She could hear how pissed she sounded as each word flew out of her mouth, even to her own ears. “In the shower, that morning. Really fucking classy, messing with me like that. Ha ha, what a hilarious joke, thinking about me while masturbating. And then in the kitchen, when you acted like you were going to kiss me, just because you were mad and wanted to hurt me.”

Ben’s jaw actually dropped, lips parting in shock. He looked slightly ill, like he was about to puke right there. 

It felt like Rey had been knocked off balance as she watched him. He looked genuinely surprised and horrified and something sank in her stomach, stealing all of the air from her lungs with it.

Poe suddenly appeared behind Ben. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I can’t take any more of this. Are you both actually idiots?”

Too surprised to respond, Rey just watched as he squeezed by Ben, who also didn’t say anything. 

Stopping between them, Poe sighed deeply. “Listen, Rey, I love you, but this is painful. And I’m not going to contribute to the mountain of stupidity going on right here. This tension right now, you feel it?” He waved his hands around, gesturing at both of them. “That’s the tension between two people who are madly into each other and want to fuck, but are too blind and dumb to see it.”

She actually choked on the gasp that ripped itself from her throat, while Ben’s eyes went comically wide, darting between her and Poe.

Coming over to pat her on the back as she coughed, Poe shrugged apologetically as she straightened. “Sorry, girl. I came up with this dumb idea and Finn and Rose backed me up because we hoped you’d maybe find the confidence to tell Ben how you really felt. And I was okay with helping you out because I assumed he just hadn’t realized what a catch you are. But that boy is already ridiculously in love with you, so can you guys just kiss and make up already?”

Rey glanced over to Ben, mortified beyond words. He looked like he was watching his life go up in flames, helpless to do anything but stand there and let it burn. 

“What-” she started, wanting to shake Poe until he started making sense. All she knew was that he had just called her and her feelings out in front of Ben. “You guys- you what?”

He didn’t even look ashamed. “We’re tired of hearing you moan and groan about him all the time. Giving you the idea of turning this into a contest between you two seemed perfect, a rom-com waiting to happen. If you’re going to be mad at me, you have to be mad at all of us.”

She felt woozy. Her friends, her traitorous, backstabbing, rotten friends had manipulated her.

Poe rounded on Ben, pointing an accusing finger at him. “And you, why the hell haven’t you made a move yet? Only a dumbass thinks that playing hard to get actually works. Smooth, by the way-”

His phone went off suddenly, interrupting him mid-rant. He worked it out of his pocket and answered, like he wasn’t in the middle of savagely embarrassing the two of them.

“Hey,” he said, “are you here? Yeah, I’ll tell you about it in the car, it’s ridiculous… No, they’re both just standing here like they have no idea what I’m talking about… Yes, they are obviously in love, how did neither you or Rose notice? I’m surrounded by idiots, I swear.”

Tilting the phone away from his face, he mouthed Finn’s name to Rey, rolling his eyes apologetically. She was just waiting to wake up from this nightmare that was her life.

“Yes, babe, I’m coming. I need to get out of here before these two jump each other…yep, it’s that bad. I’ll be out in a second. Get Rose up on speakerphone, she’ll want to hear this too.”

He turned off his phone, tucking it back in his pocket with a sigh. “Sorry, I texted him a few minutes ago when you guys first started going at it.”

Rey started to talk, not even sure what she was going to say, but Poe silenced her with a look before she could get out a word.

“No, you shush. Listen closely, because I am so over this pining and angsty lovesick teenager garbage. You two talk it out, admit your feelings, have sex, whatever, I don’t care…and if I find out that after I leave, you pretend this didn’t happen and go back to acting like you both have no idea what I was talking about- Well, you don’t want to know what I’m going to do, but trust me, it will make this look like gentle foreplay.”

Outside, a car horn beeped impatiently. 

“And, that’s my cue to leave.” Poe took two steps towards the door, then spun on his heel like he’d forgotten something, facing Ben. “I’m Poe, by the way, Finn’s boyfriend. It’s uh, nice to finally meet you. Please don’t hold this against me.”

He left, closing the door firmly behind him and leaving only silence. Rey’s head was spinning, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. And Ben- he no longer looked horrified, now he was just watching her with a considering look on his face, which was somehow worse.

“So, uh, I guess we should talk?” she said weakly. “I’m gonna-” Gesturing at the chair, she sat down tiredly, kicking off her heels. Ben settled on the couch across from her, and his gaze was intense, making goosebumps break out across her skin. 

Rey stared right back, her heart racing in her chest. He hadn’t protested to a thing that Poe had said and before that, when she’d called him out on the masturbation and almost kiss, the look on his face-

“Is it true?” Ben asked, interrupting her train of thought. “What he said about you having feelings for me?”

She sighed. “Can we just- not? Not play dumb anymore, I mean. You know I do, I haven’t exactly done a stellar job of hiding them.”

He was silent for a long second. “You want the truth then?” he asked quietly, ducking his head to hide his face. “Here’s the truth; what he said about me was true too. I’ve wanted you for months now. I was an idiot for not saying something, and I told myself that every day. Seeing you bring him home made me sick with jealousy. This whole game we’ve been playing is stupid and I never should have started it. What you heard, me in the shower, that wasn’t a part of it. And in the kitchen, I did want to kiss you.” He paused like he was thinking. “And when you were drunk, you took your top off and I tried not to look but…”

There was no holding back the breathy, slightly disbelieving laugh that escaped her. Ben finally looked up, and the hope on his face was almost painful to look at. 

“I wasn’t,” she told him, grinning despite the fact that none of this felt real.

His dark eyebrows came together in confusion. “Wasn’t what?”

“Drunk,” she admitted. “I wasn’t actually drunk, it was just part of the game. And I wanted you to see me.” A surge of giddiness shot through her, and fueled by that and the courage she found from the dark look in his eyes, she got up and slowly crossed the space between them. “I wanted you to kiss me in the kitchen. I wanted to go join you in the shower after I heard you, before I convinced myself that it wasn’t real. I wanted to make you jealous with Poe and hurt you like you hurt me.” She stopped in front of him, legs brushing against his knees. “This game is stupid, and so are we.”

Ben reached out like he wanted to touch her, then let his hand fall back against his thigh. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he rasped, face tight with regret. “I didn’t know you had-”

Shaking her head, Rey cut him off. “It’s okay, I wasn’t thinking. Don’t apologize when you did nothing wrong. I was the one who read all the signs backward and upside down.”

He didn’t say anything but she could see his pulse fluttering beneath the line of his jaw, and the barely restrained desire in his face. 

Slowly, giving him time to pull away or protest, she straddled him, knees sinking into the couch cushions. Her skirt rucked up even higher than it already was on her thighs but she didn’t care. Ben’s breath caught audibly, hands skimming up her legs to settle on her waist and hold her steady against him. 

“Rey,” he breathed, “this is-”

_ Surreal. Amazing. Terrifying. Overwhelming. _

“I know,” she murmured, then leaned in to finally kiss him.

It was just a whisper of a kiss, soft and delicate, and when Rey pulled away, putting only an inch or so between them, Ben let out a shuddering breath against her mouth. In that small sound, she could hear his relief and desire, and how much he was struggling to restrain himself.

“Don’t,” she said, nose brushing his own. “Don’t hold back.”

Ben’s breathing hitched sharply and then his mouth was on hers once again, needy and insistent, contrasting against the gentle reverence in his hands as they caressed the skin of her bare thighs. He kissed her like she’d imagined so many times, with a passion that matched her own, a confession that revealed just how long he’d been wanting this too. 

Rey opened up to the wet heat of his tongue against her lips, delving her fingers into his hair and twisting at the front of his shirt. It was messy and desperate and above all,  _ perfect _ . 

He dragged her closer with hands that she could feel were shaking, making a pleased noise in the back of his throat when she pressed more firmly against him. It made her head spin and she wanted to hear him make that sound again and again.

The way he was clutching her to him, grip firm and determined fingers pressing into her soft skin, like he never wanted to let her go, made Rey’s pulse race, an erratic drumbeat that she couldn’t keep up with.

Somehow, at this moment, she wasn’t filled with shock or disbelief, but more of an absolute certainty that they’d always been meant to end up here, together. It just felt too natural to touch him, too right how they fit against each other. 

When he bit down softly on her bottom lip, she moaned, the sound swallowed up by his hungry lips. Electric tension was rising between them, in every ragged, desperate breath, and the tremble of their fingers as they reached for each other. 

Pulling away because she wanted to watch his face, Rey ground down on his erection where it was straining at the front of his jeans as she yanked his shirt over his head. His pupils were huge, eyes nearly black, and he bit his lip against a growling rumble that she felt where her hand pressed against his chest. His bare skin was smooth and so hot, a red flush spreading across him like wildfire.

Heart racing beneath the cage of her ribs, pounding in her ears and her throat, she pulled her top off, her bralette following quickly. Ben cursed lowly, pulling her back down so his lips could nip and suck marks into the skin of her neck, leaving a trail behind as he mouthed his way down to her chest. The first wet, hot swirl of his tongue around her nipple made Rey gasp, pushing into his mouth and grinding into his lap. 

Being here with him on their ratty old couch, falling apart beneath his touch while those same hands held her steady against him, tracing the broad width of his shoulders and the sharp line of his jaw, Rey knew that this was the end.

The end of a painful, torturous chapter of her life that she was relieved to be slamming closed. No more stupid games, no more hiding, no more sneaking glances and restrained touches. She was all in, giving Ben everything she had to offer. 

The thought was followed by a wave of relief so intense that she felt dizzy, clinging at his shoulders to ground herself.

“Ben,” she gasped, arching into him. “I need-” The words died on her tongue as she realized she didn’t know how to put into words what she was feeling right now, the overwhelming  _ want _ coursing through her, itching under her skin and dry in the back of her throat.

But he knew what she was trying to say, pulling her in for another scorching kiss, hand slipping under the hem of her skirt. 

She was bare, already soaked with arousal, and his fingers parted her easily, delving into her heat without hesitation. Crying out against his mouth, she rocked into his touch as he filled her first with one finger, then two, the thickness of his digits stretching her perfectly. 

He murmured her name, coaxing and soft, as he worked his fingers in and out of her, slow and steady and simultaneously too much and not enough. His eyes were wide as he watched her, darting from her face to her flushed chest, and down to where his hand was disappearing between her thighs.

Hardly able to focus, Rey reached down and stroked the hard ridge of his cock through the denim of his jeans, feeling him shudder against her. She managed to get the button and zipper undone, his cock out and hot in her hand. 

They touched each other, all rhythm and finesse lost as the tried to work around all the limbs that were moving and tangling together, breathy little huffs and moans filling the air. His cock was hard and slick with smeared precome, the length both exciting and a bit daunting as she worked her hand up and down. 

But there was no doubt that he’d fit inside of her just right.

Once she couldn’t take it anymore, she lifted her hips, lining him up against her entrance, when Ben’s hand on her wrist made her pause.

“Is this-” He paused, licking his lips. “It this okay? We don’t have to-”

Rey silenced him with a kiss. “I want this. Do you?”

He nodded, gazing at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He’d always had expressive eyes and they were cutting through her right now, making her weak. 

“Say it,” she whispered, sinking down onto him slowly, never once looking away from his face. 

He groaned, a filthy, lewd sound that stroked the flames smoldering in her core. “I want this,” he choked out, gripping her tightly and ducking his head into her shoulder so the next words were muffled. “I want you. So much.”

They kissed again, mouths slotted together just right as she started to ride him, sliding up and down his length slowly, trying to find a good pace. She’d only been on top a few times, but Ben helped her, guiding hands on her hips and praises falling off of his lips. 

Sweat was collecting in the dip of her back, sticky on her flushed chest as she fucked him, taking him all the way, every inch filling her up until she thought she couldn’t possibly take any more. She leaned back slightly, gasping as the angle changed, the tip of his cock bumping against something that made her limbs feel weightless, a molten knot forming low in her stomach.

Hearing the sound, Ben held her in place with steady hands, lifting his hips from the couch to fuck up into her, pounding into that spot. She was helpless to move, aside from her hands clutching at his firm thighs beneath her, watching as he tossed his head back in pleasure.

“Don’t stop,” she moaned, happy to beg if it meant he did as she said.

She was digging her hands into his thick hair, leaning forward to bite onto his shoulder, tasting the saltiness of his skin beneath her tongue. Under her, he was losing his rhythm, hips stuttering in a way that meant he was close, so she tried to pick it back up for him. Her knees were weak but she managed to lift and lower herself, her yearning fueling her on.

Rey wanted him to cry out her name. She wanted to make him come underneath her. She wanted to see his face when he did so, to know that she was the one making him peak with pleasure.

She just wanted him, in all ways. 

With her taking back over, Ben let go of her hips to slip nimble fingers between them, rubbing tight circles against her clit. When she whimpered, her blood sizzling in her veins, his free hand came up to cup her breast, pinching and thumbing at her sensitive nipple. 

“Come on,” he told her, pressing kisses to every inch of bare skin he could reach. “Come on, I’ve got you.  _ Let go _ .”

She had already been close, barreling towards the edge and unable to stop even if she’d wanted to, and his words gave her the final shove. The knot in her stomach snapped with a pulse of pleasure, washing over her in powerful waves that made her thighs quiver and her legs go weak beneath her.

Ben followed right after her, fingers digging into her skin as he came, muttering a blend of curses and her name. She could feel him pulsing hotly inside of her as he orgasmed, and she made herself focus on his face, not wanting to miss a single second. 

Breathing heavily, Rey only let herself collapse against him once all the tension had gone from his body, replaced with warm, cozy contentment. 

They were sticking together in a few places, but she didn’t want to get up and move just yet, and from the gentle circles that Ben was rubbing into her back, he felt the same. Slowly, her breaths evened out, matching the deep, steady rise and fall of his chest.

“Are you sleeping?” he asked quietly a minute later.

“Uh uh,” she mumbled into his skin. “Close though.” It wasn’t a lie, if she let herself, she could definitely fall asleep like this, nestled against his warmth.

He laughed and she felt the vibration under her head. “Want to go to bed?”

That sounded like a lot of effort. “Nah, let’s just lay here for a minute.”

“Okay.” He sounded amused but didn’t protest, just maneuvered them so they were laying down, Rey draped across his chest, legs intertwined.

Her mind wandered to the absurd direction this day had gone, to all the things that had led them here to this point. If someone had asked her this morning, she would have said it was more likely she’d end the day punching Ben Solo in the face than having mind-blowing sex with him.

“Do you think I should beat Poe up, or send him a fruit basket?” she asked Ben.

He groaned. “Do we really have to talk about him right now? I’m having a hard enough time getting the way he looked at you out of my head.”

She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know that his acting skills are so on point. Maybe you should send him a thank you card and let him know how moved you were by his performance.”

“More like nauseous,” he muttered, but she could hear that he was holding back a grin. “How about, as a compromise, you beat him up and I’ll send him a get well card?”

Rey thought about it for a long second. “Seems fair to me,” she said, then smiled slowly. “But, I think I have a better idea of how to punish him.”

A minute later, they were back on the couch but clothed now, Rey’s legs tossed over Ben’s lap as she found Poe’s number and hit dial. He answered on the second ring and she winked at Ben, turning on speakerphone.

“You’d better be calling me to thank me,” Poe said, but she could hear the interest in his voice. 

Rey sniffled loudly, letting out a wet sob into the phone. “I couldn’t do it, Ben was just standing there and I panicked. I lied and told him you didn’t know what you were talking about and he got mad and left and now we aren’t talking and-”

Poe swore loudly, cutting her off. “Are you kidding me? I handed him to you on a silver fucking platter.” 

She sobbed louder. “I know, I was just too afraid. Can you please come over, I really need a shoulder to cry on right now. Maybe if I can just tell you everything he said, we can come up with a new plan-”

“No! No, no,  _ no! _ I can’t believe you just-  _ Ugh!  _ I can’t even believe you guys right now, you idiotic- I am done with this.  _ Done!  _ Do you hear me?” He hung but before she could say anything else.

Rey and Ben exploded into laughter, shaking the couch. 

“Oh my god,” she cackled, holding her stomach. “Did you hear how pissed he was? He’s going to be raging all night. I bet you twenty bucks, he’s going to show up here, pounding on the door and trying to get in to lecture me.”

Ben’s face was flushed from laughter, his eyes gleaming mischievously. “Are we going to play this up? I say we make him suffer for a few days at least.”

“Oh yeah,” Rey agreed, malicious glee flooding her. “He totally deserves it.”

A second later, her phone vibrated with a text from Finn.

_ What the hell did you say to Poe? He’s stomping around the apartment, tearing his hair out and snarling like a wild animal. I’m worried he’s lost it. _

Rey showed Ben the text and then collapsed into a fit of giggles again, the mental image too much.

He kissed her laughing mouth, his own curled into a smile. “I know firsthand just how diabolical you can be, so I don’t envy Poe.”

“You know you like it,” she teased, a rush of heated pride filling her as his eyes darkened, probably remembering the last few days. “I think I managed to pull out a win there, just through my incredible inventiveness alone.”

His eyebrows rose. “Uhm, I don’t know what you’re remembering but I definitely put more effort and time in, so I should win.”

“You’re so cute, trying to act like your amateur moves had anything against my thought out schemes. It’s okay, not everyone can be as amazing as me, and you gave it a good shot.”

He didn’t respond, instead playfully pinning her back against the couch and kissing her thoroughly, telling her all she needed to know about who the real winner was in the end. 


End file.
